Two years after the passing of international pop star/actress Olivia Newton-John, a long-lost demo of an unreleased song was discovered on a cassette tape and has now been released as the new pop anthem, “My Dream,” featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Jim Brickman and the Italian pop sensation Il Volo.
In 1999, Brickman was prepping for his first PBS TV special, “My Romance,” when he met the GREASE star. The two immediately hit it off. Not only did Olivia appear on the PBS special, but the two artists began writing music together.
One song they never finished, however, was a duet called “My Dream,” which was finally released on September 20. In a happy accident, Brickman was rummaging through a box of old cassette tapes several months ago when he came across a demo of the song. Jim recalls the song, written in 2009, came at a special time in Olivia’s life when she was bursting with ideas.
“I remember that songwriting session. She was talking about her dreams—all the things she wanted to do, including starting the foundation. I said what she was saying sounded like the basis for a song, and we started writing together,” Brickman revealed.
Hear Olivia Newton-John Sing About Her ‘Dream’ on Long Lost Recording Pal Jim Brickman Discovered After Her Death (Exclusive) https://t.co/g1PMC3xdH0
— People (@people) September 19, 2024
“It all happened in one day at Olivia’s house in Malibu,” Brickman shared with PEOPLE Magazine. “First writing in the morning and then recording a quick demo in the afternoon at John Farrar’s, Olivia’s longtime collaborator’s, studio. The version you hear now, is from that original session.”
Brickman, who’s been a staple in Adult Contemporary music (“Valentine,” “Destiny”) says the song was originally written as a romantic duet “but has now become more significant as a theme that resonated with Olivia about her Dream and hope for a cure for cancer.”
Brickman and his team were able to pull a pristine track of Olivia’s voice from the cassette. A soaring pop arrangement was produced adding the men of Il Volo, and voila! A gorgeous new single that’s thrilling Olivia fans around the world. Within hours of its release, “MyDream” was racing up Apple’s iTunes New Music chart.
As the world knows, we lost Olivia to her cancer journey in August 2022. Long-missed by her fans, she holds a special spot for queer fans having been a staunch ally for the LGBTQ community her entire career. Over the years, she performed at several Pride events including New York City, Los Angeles, and Sydney, Australia; was the first major Australian star to speak out in support of same-sex marriage; helped shine a light on the AIDS epidemic appearing in the film It’s My Party; and, of course, the music video for her mega-hit “Physical” is about the gayest thing ever.
Olivia continued to tour and record new music up through the mid-2010s. In fact, in 2021 she recorded a new duet version of “Jolene” with global icon Dolly Parton. The song had previously been a hit for both artists. The new collaboration was released six months after Olivia’s passing to much acclaim.
You can stream “My Dream” on your favorite music platform here. Or for direct links to buy the new single (100% of proceeds go to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund), you can purchase/download from Apple Music here or on Amazon here.
